Precision tile setter



S. F. PASPY PRECISION TILE SETTER Filed Jan. 1'7, 1962 Feb. 16, 1965 INVENTOR SIM/LE) A PASP) ATTORNEY FiG.3

FIG.2

United States Patent Ofiice 3,169,295 PRECESION TILE SETTER Stanley F. Paspy, Zanesville, Ohio, assignor to Ferro Corporation, Cleveland, Ghio, a corporation of Ohio Filed Jan. 17, 1962, Ser. No. 166,757 11 Claims. (Cl. 25-453) and setter design have all failed to solve the problem of warpage encountered in todays fast one-fire operations, during which bisque and glost firing is combined.

The warpage difficulty has been minimized to a certain extent by specially designed setters wherein each tile is fully supported over its entire surface by a replaceable or fixed fiat refractory slab. However, this method has the disadvantages of lowering fuel elliciency by introducing an excessive amount of dead mass into the firing operation by virtue of the great weight and bulk of such tile setter, and furthermore does not completely eliminate the warpage problem inasmuch as the heavy supporting slab for each individual tile has a tendency to warp during repeated firings, thereby tending to induce a corresponding warpage in the tile it supports. Thus, an attempt to overcome one problem (warpage) introduced another (inefficiency) because of the added mass of the slab type setter.

tial amount ofv setter Weight introduced into the tiling cycle.

Nevertheless, it was still found that point or edge support of tile in this manner resulted in an undesirable degree of warpage which was attributed to the fact that the tile was not supported over its entire surface, hence tended to sag and warp under its own weight during the firing operation.

However, i have surprisingly found that if two opposed corresponding and complementary tile supporting shelves are machined to very fine tolerances, with respect to a theoretical reference plane encompassing the machined tile supporting surfaces of the two shelves, significant warpage of tile fired while supported thereon is all but eliminated.

That is, we have found that if a tile is only partially supported over only a fraction of its surface, it nevertheless has sufficient strength to retain its flat shape if the points at which it is supported lie substantially in a plane.

Thus, a tile setter of the general improved type described provides both light weight and a supporting means for tile which tends to minimize warpage thereof during firing to a degree heretofore not possible.

It is, therefor, a principal object of this invention to provide a refractory tile setter having tile supporting means which vary from a plane, encompassing said means, wittun very close tolerances.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a lightweight tile setter for firing ceramic tile with a minimum of warpagc therein.

It is a further object of this invention to provide means for supporting, during firing, a tabular ceramic body over only a fraction of its total surface, any point on the contacting surface of said means varying by less than 1.90% of the maximum dimension of the unsupported span of the tabular ceramic body to be fired, said variation determined with respect to a plane generally parallel to the plane of a tile supported on said means, and substantially encompassing the ceramic body supporting surfaces of said means.

In the attached drawings,

PEG. 1 is a perspective View of a preferred embodiment of our improved tile setter.

FIG. 2 is a side elevation view of said tile setter.

PEG. 3 is an enlarged side elevation section of two 0pposcd shelves, shown in FIG. 2, with the slight inward and upward slope oi said shelves exaggerated for clarity of description in the following disclosure.

Tile setters of the general type depicted inFlG. l have been achieved by any number of conventional forming techniques known in the ceramic industry, most popular of which has been slip casting.

As is well known, by the very nature of the forming methods and materials used in the refractory industry as well as the extremely high temperatures involved in firing articles of this type, it is practically impossible to achieve a fine degree of dimensional accuracy. Furthermore, since the consensus has always been that warpage in tile when fired in a setter of the general design of that depicted in FIG. 1, has been the result of factors other than minor variations in the tile supporting means, it is little wonder then that no one had previously conceived the thought of attempting to achieve unwarped ware through precise fabrication of be supporting means utilized by a tile setter of the gen 1 type shown in FIG. I. There fore, while my inver. -on is relatively simple in its essentials, it should be borne in mind that the basic cause of tile war-pag has never been previously proven to be the tile suppc ng means in tins general type setter; the classic niethod' of attacking the problem of warpage until my novel development lying in either beefing up existing tile setters by providing individual setter support plates for each tile, or by attempting endless variations in body and glaze compositions.

Referring now more specifically to the drawings, a tile setter constructed according t the presentinvention, manufactured by slip casting- (although any conventional manufacturing method will sufilce), embodies an open sided box-like structure having a top member 1, a bottom support member .2, and opposed vertical upright members3 connected to said top and bottom members.

Vertical upright memb rs 3 .are provided with a plurality or" tile support means l adapted to receive and support a ceramic tile 5 in the manner illustratedin FIGS. and 2.

Referring now to H6. 3, a preferred embodiment of our invention is achieved by machining with any suitable conventional abrasive means, such as a suitably mounted grinding wheel as 1 used, the tips of tile support means 4 over approximately the areas indicated by D B respectively to produce precision tile support surfaces 6 which are coincident with the plane P-P' within a tolerance of $0.015 inch; that is, any point on surfaces'6 within the areas D and D will not vary more than 0.015 inch above or below plane P-P which includes therewithin surfaces 6. In my preferred structure the distance between two opposed upright members 3 is approximately four and one half inches, and the shortest distance (span) between two opposed support means 4 is approximately two inches, indicated by d in FIG. 3. It is therefore apparent that the variation lim its of surfaces 6 from reference plane P-P may be readily defined in terms of variation from such reference plane, P-P', expressed as a percentage variation of the span d, thus making my novel improvement applicable to any setter, regardless of span between tile support means.

Thus, in my preferred embodiment, the permissible variation of 0.015 inch may be equated to percentage of span, applicable to setters of any size, as follows:

0.0 15 inch variation (V) 2 inches s (d) X 100 =O.75%

Variation (v) =0.75 d

cision. grinding to a variation less than 0.75%. However, it is to be understood that my invention obviously covers any variation less than 1%. 1

- As is well known in the art, the shelves of my preferred embodiment may be replaced with suitable pins projecting inwardly from sidewalls 3, which provide a multiplicity of relatively sharp points for supporting flat ware, or my projecting shelves may be replaced with suitable slots in upright member 3 adaptable to receive andsupport a'flat ceramic body during firing thereof,

such as a tile, through supporting contact with only a fraction of a flat surface of. said flat ceramic body. Too,

the shelves of my preferred embodiment may obviously be formed to present knife edge ridges to the underside I of a tile, which would provide line support for fiat ceramic bodies during firing as opposed to point support from pins, or area support from a shelfsurface.

The essence of my invention lies in an improvement for tile setters which consists of two or more generally '4 Y supporting means varies from a reference plane described by any other three points taken on the ware supporting surfaces of said two means, at least one each of said three points occurring respectively on the ware supporting surface of each of said means, by less than one percent of the shortest distance between said two opposed ware supporting means. f

2. The setter of claim '1 wherein said ware supporting surfaces are substantially unidimensional ceramic ware supporting edges.

3. The setter of claim 1 wherein each said ware supporting means consists in a multiplicity of points, and any given point of said means carried by either said upright member varies from a reference plane described by any other three points, at least one each of said other three points occurring respectively on each said opposed upright member, by less than one percent of the shortest distance between said two opposed ware supporting means.

4. The setter of claim 1 wherein said means are shelves. 5. The setter of claim 1 wherein said means are slots in said upright members. I

6. The setter of claim 1 wherein said variation is 0.75 percent or less. i

7. The setter of claim 1 wherein said variation is less than 0.5 percent. 7

8. In the method of manufacture :of a refractory ceramic ware setter having a generally horizontally disposed base, at least two generally opposed vertical upright members spaced apart from each other, in contact with and supported by said base, said upright members each carrying ceramic ware supporting means corresponding to and complementing generally opposed ceramic ware supporting means carried by an opposed upright member, the manufacturing improvement step comprising forming a pair of said complementing generally opposed ceramic ware supporting means to provide them respectively with ceramic ware supporting surfaces having a precision relationship between same characterized by any given point on said ware supporting surfaces of either of said ware supporting means, varying from a reference plane, de-

scribed by anyother three points taken on the ware Supporting surfaces of said two means, at least one each of .said three points occurring respectively on the waresupsupporting means.

9. The method of claim '8 wherein said complementary Ware supporting surfaces are formed to their precision opposed ceramic ware supporting means, all ceramic ware I contacting points, edges or surfaces of said means lying substantially in a plane within the-critical limits of variation fromsaid plane ashereinbefore described.

Havingthus described my invention in the foregoing specification in the form of a preferred embodiment thereof, but in no way intending to be restricted to the precise form thereof as disclosed, my invention is set forth in the following claims, to be accorded the broadest construction to which they are entitled by law.

I claim: g r V 1. In a refractory ceramic ware setter having'a generally horizontally disposed base, at least two generally opposed. vertical upright members spaced apart from each other, in contact with and'supported by said base,

said upright members each'carrying ceramic ware supporting means correspondingto and complementing generallybppos'edcerarhic ware supporting means carried by an'opposed upright member, the improvement in combination therewith of two opposed, corresponding, complementary ware supporting means, having ceramic ware supporting'surfaces, characterized by a precision relationship between-said means such that any given point on said ware supporting surfaces of either of said ware relationship by honing.

10. In themethod of manufacture-of arefractory ceramic ware setter having a generally horizontally disposed base, at least two generally opposed verticalupri'ght members spaced apart from each other, in contact with and .supported by saidbase, said upright member each carrying ceramic ware'supporting means corresponding to. and

complementing generally-opposed ceramic ware supporting means carried by an opposed upright member, the

manufacturing improvement step comprising forming a pair of said complementing generally opposed ceramic ware' supporting means to provide them respectively with unidimensional ceramic ware supporting edges having a .precision' relationship between same characterized by any given point on said unidimensional ceramic ware supporting edges of either of said ware supporting means, varying from a reference plane, described by any other three [points taken on the unidimensional ceramic ware supportedges of said two means, at .least one each of said i j three'points occurring respectively on the unidimensional ceramicware supporting edges of each of said means, by

.-lessthan 1% of the: shortest distance between said two .opposed ware supporting means.

11. In the method of claim 8 wherein said ware supporting means consist in a multiplicity of points, the improvement of adjusting said points by honing to a relation- 5 6 ship characterized by any given point of said means car- 2,263,212 11/41 Irwin 25153 tied by either said upright member varying from '9. refer- 2,602,984 7/52 Owen Z5153 ence plane described by any other three points, at least FOREIGN PATENTS one each of said other three points occurring, respectively, on each said opposed upright member by less than 1% 5 5171377 10/ 55 Canadaof the shortest distance between said two opposed ware 536,082 5/41 at i i supporting msans Great Brltaln. 636,515 5/50 Great Britain. References Cited by the Examiner WILLIAM J. STEPHENSON, Primary Examiner.

UNITED STATES PATENTS 10 ROBERT F. WHITE, NEDWIN BERGER, Examiners.

1,848,200 3/32 Robinson 25-153 Disclaimer 3,169,295.Stcmley F. Pwspy, Zanesviiie, Ohio. PRECISION TILE SETTER. Patent dated Feb. 16, 1965. Disclaimer filed June 15, 1978, by the assignee, Fewo Gowpomtz'on. Hereby enters this disclaimer to claims 1, &, 6, 7 and 8 of said patent.

[Oficial Gazette August 22, 1978.] 

1. IN A REFRACTORY CERAMIC WARE SETTER HAVING A GENERALLY HORIZONTALLY DISPOSED BASE, AT LEAST TWO GENERALLY OPPOSED VERTICAL UPRIGHT MEMBERS SPACED APART FROM EACH OTHER, IN CONTACT WITH AND SUPPORTED BY SAID BASE, AND UPRIGHT MEMBERS EACH CARRYING CERAMIC WARE SUPPORTING MEANS CORRESPONDING TO AND COMPLEMENTING GENERALLY OPPOSED CERAMIC WARE SUPPORTING MEANS CARRIED BY AN OPPOSED UPRIGHT MEMBER, THE IMPROVEMENT IN COMBINATION THEREWITH OF TWO OPPOSED, CORRESPONDING, COMPLEMENTARY WARE SUPPORTING MEANS, HAVING A CERAMIC WARE SUPPORTING SURFACES, CHARACTERIZED BY A PRECISION RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SAID MEANS SUCH THAT ANY GIVEN POINT ON SAID WARE SUPPORTING SURFACES OF EITHER OF SAID WARE SUPPORTING MEANS VARIES FROM A REFERENCE PLANE DESCRIBED BY ANY OTHER THREE POINTS TAKEN ON THE WARE SUPPORTING SURFACES OF SAID TWO MEANS, AT LEAST ONE EACH OF SAID THREE POINTS OCCURING RESPECTIVELY ON THE WARE SUPPORTING SURFACE OF EACH OF SAID MEANS, BY LESS THAN ONE PERCENT OF THE SHORTEST DISTANCE BETWEEN SAID TWO OPPOSED WARE SUPPORTING MEANS.
 8. IN THE METHOD OF MANUFACTURE OF A REFRACTORY CERAMIC WARE SETTER HAVING A GENERALLY HORIZONTALLY DISPOSED BASE, AT LEAST TWO GENERALLY OPPOSED VERTICAL UPRIGHT MEMBERS SPACED APAR FROM EACH OTHER, IN CONTACT WITH SAID SUPPORTED BY SAID BASE, SAID UPRIGHT MEMBERS EACH CARRYING CERAMIC WARE SUPPORTING MEANS CORRESPONDING TO AND COMPLEMENTING GENERALLY OPPOSED CERAMIC WARE SUPPORTING MEANS CARRIED BY AN OPPOSED UPRIGHT MEMBER, THE MANUFACTURING IMPROVEMENT STEP COMPRISING FORMING A PAIR OF SAID COMPLEMENTING GENERALLY OPPOSED CERAMIC WARE SUPPORTING MEANS TO PROVIDE THEM RESPECTIVELY WITH CERAMIC WARE SUPPORTING SURFACES HAVING A PRECISION RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SAME CHARACTERIZED BY ANY GIVEN POINT ON SAID WARE SUPPORTING SURFACES OF EITHER OF SAID WARE SUPPORTING MEANS, VARYING FROM A REFERENCE PLANE, DESCRIBED BY ANY OTHER THREE POINTS TAKEN ON THE WARE SUPPORTING SURFACES OF SAID TWO MEANS, AT LEAST ON EACH OF SAID THREE POINTS OCCURING RESPECTIVELY ON THE WARE SUPPORTING SURFACE OF EACH OF SAID MEANS, BY LESS THAN 1% OF THE SHORTERST DISTANCE BETWEEN SAID TWO OPPOSED WARE SUPPORTING MEANS. 